Here’s the latest I can share based on publicly reported information.
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OPM has been rolling out a fully digital retirement processing system for federal employees. Starting June 2, 2025, retirement applications began being submitted electronically through a new Online Retirement Application (ORA) system, with paper submissions no longer accepted after July 15, 2025. This marks a major shift toward online processing and automation of retirements.[3][5][9]
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In addition to digital applications, OPM introduced online tools to help retirees manage their accounts more efficiently. For example, some tools let retirees download 1099-R tax forms without logging into the Retirement Services Online portal and to view current processing times to gauge how long claims may take to complete.[1][7]
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There have been pilot programs and phased implementations to ensure a smooth government-wide transition, including a four-month trial of the online retirement platform and onboarding support for agencies as they move to ORA.[4][9]
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Coverage of the transition has highlighted ongoing backlog challenges and ongoing modernization efforts as a context for these changes, with agencies and policymakers watching processing times and backlog levels as digital tools scale.[7][8]
If you’d like, I can summarize key dates, provide a simple checklist for federal retirement applications going online, or look for official OPM resources and user guides to help you navigate ORA and related tools. I can also tailor this to your location and status if you’re a current or prospective federal employee.
Sources
OPM is set to launch a fully digital retirement system in less than a month, aiming for faster processing, replacing outdated paper methods.
www.fedsmith.comAs the OPM retirement backlog slowly ticked down in April, efforts to modernize the retirement processing system are moving along quickly.
www.fedsmith.comThe Office of Personnel Management (OPM) announced Wednesday that a new digital retirement processing system that will be implemented governmentwide this
www.myfederalretirement.comDetails of the pilot come as the applications backlog attracts further scrutiny from lawmakers.
fedscoop.comFederal retirees are likely going to wait longer for their claims to be processed. The federal government’s retirement backlog surged in October, with the backlog of claims hitting the highest level since March 2022, during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Office of Personnel Manag
www.fedmanager.comThe retirement application process for federal employees is going all-digital in the coming weeks, as the federal government formally ditches that paper process that has been blamed for slowing down worker retirements. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) said that startin
www.fedmanager.comOPM Federal Employee Retirement Applications Only Accepted Online Starting July 15: The federal retirement process is going digital! Beginning in June, agency retirement applications can be submitted
www.planwellfp.comagencies served by the National Finance Center (NFC) and Interior Business Center (IBC) must submit retirement applications via ORA starting June 2, 2025, and OPM is providing onboarding support to ensure a smooth transition government-wide. This historic reform reflects OPM’s continued commitment to improving service delivery and is expected to
www.opm.govThe Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is launching two online resources for federal retirees to more easily access retirement services, the agency announced Thursday.
www.meritalk.comThe Office of Personnel Management has said it wants to create a “modern retirement experience” for current and future federal retirees, including
www.fedweek.com